The Chronicles of Tytania: The Great Trials
by Vegeta Syed Putra
Summary: Shamelessly AU. A completely different world of DBZ. Saiyans are at the helm of rule, all major races of DBZ coexist in one world, magic and alchemy abound..The first part of a three-part series. CHAPTER 2, OH GOD, IS FINALLY UP!
1. Prologue: The Makings of a Prince

The sun shone brightly over the horizon, signifying a new day breaking over in the Kingdom of Central Tytania. For centuries the kingdom had flourished under the rule of a noble, gallant warrior race. If it wasn't for the marriage of King Adam and Queen Minerva three thousand years ago, none of this was possible.

Central Tytania was a city of abundance - everything was rich and in excess; even the poor lived a relatively comfortable life. Its main source, titanium, is located miles beneath the city itself, and even until today its sources had never run out. Truly, it was because of it that Tytania has flourished even until today.

Today was a significant day. Today marked the beginning of a new millennium, a new era of prosperity and power - Tytania's 3rd millennial anniversary.

A few miles away from Central Tytania is an enchanted forest, of which a hill and a mountain is located. This forest is known as the Garden of Arjuna noted for the rare and magical species that make it their home there.

Our focus now is on the hill, where a beautiful waterfall flowed from its sheer cliffs to the river below it. Catching the sun's early rays in its drops, the waterfall sparkled gloriously in the morning sun. Such was a magical display portrayed by Mother Gaia, of which was noted by the figure standing on top of it.

This mysterious figure stood on the edge of the cliff where the waterfall flowed, arms outstretched as he faced the sun. His flame-like hair billowed in the wind as he took in the delightful sight of both man- and nature-made creations were displayed before him. He closed his eyes as he felt the morning breeze on his skin. A smile broke on his face as he embraced nature's delights to him. Never had he felt so alive...

"GET YOUR ASS DOWN FROM THERE!"a voice bellowed from below, causing the man to open his eyes suddenly. He brought his arms down and turned around. Who was calling him?

"EARTH TO VEGETA! CAN YOU HEAR ME?" the voice shouted again, loud and clear.

Vegeta took one quick peek down. At a quick glance, he saw a figure of another man, weapon at the ready, on the side of the river bank. He didn't have to guess who it was - from the power level he sensed and his voice, he knew who that figure was.

"Be right down in a minute!" he called out.

"WHAT?"

Vegeta sighed. "I SAID I'LL BE RIGHT DOWN IN A MINUTE!"

"HOW THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO GET DOWN, YOU DUMBASS?"

Hearing this, Vegeta rolled his eyes. He peered down at the cliff. It seemed like a looooooooong way down. But then, he really didn't want to go through the hassle of climbing back down. He looked down again.

"WELL?"

Vegeta smirked. He made up his mind. The quickest way to go required only a little Saiyan recklessness. He took several steps back, carefully treading the stones lest he slipped and fell the hard way instead. After he felt it was far enough, he stopped. Keeping his eyes to the horizon, he immediately dashed forward towards the very edge of the cliff and launched himself up in the air by jumping on the last step.

And he made a freefall.

The figure below was obviously shocked to see what his friend had done. "WAIT - WHAT THE - ? VEGETA WHAT THE HELL?" But of course, it was too late. Vegeta had plunged all the way down and dived headfirst into the pool, much to the horror of his friend who had now jumped in and swam his way towards where Vegeta had dived in.

"Holy crap! Vegeta! Vegeta!" he called out frantically. He really didn't have time for this - if Vegeta died, what was he going to tell his family? That he committed suicide?

"I'm over here."

The man turned round. Sure enough, Vegeta was behind him, laughing heartily at the sight of his friend acting like a frantic chicken looking for its drowned chick. He was, naturally, unhurt and very much alive.

"I will KILL you!" the man exclaimed in frustration.

"You should have seen the look on your face!" Vegeta teased as he got out of the water. His friend followed suit.

"You're lucky you're a goddamn Saiyan! If you die over there, what the hell am I gonna tell your old man? That you decided to kill yourself because you wanna die happy and this is the perfect day to do it?"

Vegeta was still laughing as he took of his wet clothes. Taking his bag nearby, he took out a towel and dried himself up, then wrapped it around his waist and took off the rest of his clothes. Reaching for the bag again, he took out another set of new, dry clothes to wear and hastily put them on, while his friend did the same too. "Your dad wasn't kidding when he said you panic too easily, Broly."

Broly huffed in disdain. "Shut up - you just remember, I'm not your official escort. I could bloody care less if you die because of your recklessness!"

Vegeta smiled as he squeezed away water from his wet clothes. "This is the only time I get to be reckless, Broly. I'll never be able to to do anything like this in the next few years."

Broly huffed. "Can we go now? I don't wanna stay here any longer."

Vegeta nodded. He slung his bag around his shoulder, and was about to walk before he noticed something. "Where are my gunblades?"

"What?"

"My gunblades."

"Didn't you keep them in your capsule?"

Vegeta gave it a thought. "Oh right. I forgot. Oh well, let's move on."

They both walked out towards the forest, heading for home.

* * *

They had reached the edge of the Garden and was out on the road leading towards Central Tytania. It was already mid-morning. They chatted as they walked along the road when Broly's eyes shifted their focus.

"What is it?" Vegeta asked.

"There's the chapel." said Broly, pointing towards the road. Vegeta looked at the direction and saw a charming little building perched on the side of the road. It looked like one of those rustic village houses, only it had a bell tower on top and a symbol of a sword shaped like a crucifix. He remembered that the chapel also doubles as an inn - it was a place travelers would stop by to rest for a while before they headed off to the city.

"You wanna stop by? Maybe we can grab something to eat." Broly suggested.

Vegeta shrugged. "Sure." he said. They then headed towards the chapel.

Once there, they opened the door. The chapel was serene and almost empty, save for a few people lingering about. The priest was stationed at the altar, reading a holy book. Behind him was a large stained glass window depicting the creations of God. All around the chapel were statues of angels and saints.

The priest looked up and saw them walking towards the altar. "Welcome, dear children of God. How may the church be of assistance this morning?"

Vegeta smiled and bowed. "We just returned from our travels and had nowhere to stop. We'd like to have something to eat before we go on our journey."

The old priest gave a knowing smile and nodded. "Come with me, good sirs, and the cook will give you what you need. You must be tired from traveling all night."

"We sure did." Broly muttered to himself.

They were lead to the guest dining room, where the cook was busy setting the table. She was a jolly old woman, and she seemed really busy. "Ah, hello, boys!" she greeted them. "Fancy having something to eat?"

Broly broke into a smile. "Oh, we sure are!"

The priest laughed. "I believe you do. Please help yourselves. I must return to my prayers." He then left the room while they sat down to a hearty breakfast.

The cook, knowing at an instant that they were Saiyans from the way they ate, did not hesitate to add more as the dishes were emptied, and they had 4 servings before they were finished. "Thank you!" said Vegeta heartily. "That was really delicious!"

The woman laughed. "Oh, it's nothing! I'm glad you boys at least have something to eat before head off. Don't forget to say your graces to God before you go!" she said as they rose up to leave.

They entered the chapel again, and saw the priest. Kneeling down towards the altar, both Broly and Vegeta stayed silent as they prayed.

Broly was the first one up. He slung his bag and lingered while Vegeta was still praying. When Vegeta was finally done, they said their goodbyes to the priest and walked out of the chapel and continued on their way.

Broly whistled. "It's already noon!"

"Yeah." said Vegeta. "By right, we should reach there at 3 or something."

"Unless we encounter a couple of monsters."

"Broly, I'm getting so tired of fighting them. Let's just skedaddle if we ever encounter them, okay? I just want to get back as soon as possible."

Broly shrugged. "Whatever you say, Boss."

But before they can even take a few steps forward, suddenly out of nowhere, a stone whizzed past them, taking them by surprise. At the chance, five bandit bodkins jumped out of their hiding place and circled them, ready to attack.

"You were saying?" said Broly in a mocking tone as he gripped the hilt of his sword. He brandished it in front of them, causing the bodkin bandits to stop. In Broly's hands was a big sword, large enough to take on all five of them. With ease, Broly swung the flat side of his blade at them, creating a powerful gust of wind that knocked the three bodkin bandits facing him off their feet.

Vegeta could only assume a fighting stance as he had no time to take his gunblades out of his capsule. One bodkin bandit jumped high into the air and launched a flying kick at Vegeta, who blocked it with ease. When he saw his chance, Vegeta launched a powerful punch towards the little bandit's gut, knocking it out cold instantly. However, he wasn't aware of the other bodkin bandit, who had gone behind him and launched a successful kick on him, causing Vegeta to fall on the ground. He immediately got up, and before the bandit could go in for the attack, he immediately kicked it away as his hand reached for the capsule in his pocket. Clicking on it immediately, a cloud of smoke exploded out of it - and as it cleared, Vegeta held in his hands his two gunblades. Not giving any chances, he raised one of his gunblades and fired a shot at the hapless bodkin bandit, hitting it on the chest. The little critter died on the spot.

Broly, on the other hand, had his critters to take care of. Before they could get up, Broly smirked, and slammed his hand onto the ground. Immediately sparks of electricity formulated from his hand, and before they knew it, the earth rumbled beneath them, and a large mound of rock suddenly shot up beneath them, throwing them far, far away.

The bodkin bandits being defeated, Broly dusted himself off. "That wasn't so tough." he said. He turned to Vegeta, and was surprised to see him blasting a hole on the ground. Vegeta picked up the dead bodkin bandit and buried it. Placing a stone on the makeshift grave, he patted the ground as a last respect, and got up to face Broly. "So that his friends know he died a brave bodkin." he remarked as he noted Broly's astonished face, and walked past him. Broly took one last look at the grave, smiled as he shook his head, and followed Vegeta as they made their return towards Central Tytania.

They had finally reached the gates of Central Tytania, a few minutes later than they estimated. Vegeta sighed with satisfaction. "Finally." he said. He looked at Broly. "Well, shall we?"

Broly shrugged. "We're home now - why not?" They walked through the archway into the city.

* * *

The city was bustling with activity. Crowds of people were passing by carrying out their daily activities. Children ran about playing tag, laughing cheerfully and squealing happily as they played with their friends. Hawkers and sellers called out to prospective buyers to visit their stores and browse the wares they had to offer while women, young and elderly alike, gathered together huddled in a group sharing the latest gossip. A few guards were stationed around the city square, keeping a vigilant eye on the people. Vegeta made sure he hung his head low so that the people won't notice of his presence.

"Broly, I better go now - I don't want them knowing I'm here." he said.

"Huh? Okay, well, see ya round." said Broly with a shrug. They both gave a 'brofist' before parting their ways - Broly headed off to Marauders' Manor where he lived with his father, and Vegeta headed off towards the palace.

* * *

Vegeta had been a covert expert in what he liked to call 'hiding in plain sight' - nobody had noticed him as he walked past them towards the palace. Now he was going to utilize his talent in sneaking into the palace - something he had already been good at ever since he was young.

Stealthily, he chose a spot where people are less likely to notice. A window was perched above him, and luckily for him, it was open - perfect. Stealthily, he climbed up the ivy covering the walls and made his way up as fast as he could, scaling the walls with practiced agility and ease. Once he reached the window, he climbed in and smiled. He knew choosing the place as his room was a great idea. Nobody would notice him leaving or coming in. Quickly he placed his bag down and hastily made for the wardrobe, planning to change into his bedclothes and pretend he had just woken up. But before his hand even touched the handle of the wardrobe, another hand stopped him from doing so. In shock, Vegeta looked up. His eyes widened when he realized who it was.

"Where have you been all morning, 'Your Highness'?" King Vegeta asked in a very irritated tone.

"F-Father." said Vegeta, completely flustered. How did his father know he was away? He even made sure his power level remained low so that nobody could sense him! He stayed silent as he looked away.

"You haven't answered my question yet." King Vegeta remarked arching an eyebrow at his son. "Have you any idea how worried we all are?"

Vegeta sighed. "I just went to see the sunrise at the waterfall."

King Vegeta let go of his son's hand and sighed. "How many times have I told you not to go anywhere without any guard escorting you? What if you get intercepted by the enemy?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Father, I'm a Saiyan, I'm 18, I'm an Elite Alchemist who knows a lot about Fire magic - why are you so worried about me?" he pressed on. He really didn't understand his father. By right, he should be the one who understood him and his bloodline the most. But he acted as though he was only a weak and feeble human - coming to think of it, everyone seemed to think so, even Broly. He opened his wardrobe and changed his top with a T-shirt. "You should be worrying about Ffenrir more than me."

King Vegeta chuckled and placed his hand on his son's shoulders. "How do you expect me to not worry when you are the next in line to the Tytanian throne? If anything happens to you, we will be in trouble!"

Vegeta shook his head. "You have Tarble and Ffenrir. Just choose between the two if I'm gone before I step on the throne! I just want to enjoy my teenage life like everyone else - like Broly, even. He gets to go everywhere while I can't even go to the grocers without having 15 guards following behind me!" he lamented.

"We've been through this, Vegeta." said King Vegeta in exasperation.

"And I'm going to keep going at it until you agree to at least give me some room!"

"You know that's not possible, and I will not allow it! You will remain in escort until you are 25, and now that you've defied that AGAIN I will tighten that rule on to you!"

Vegeta couldn't take it anymore. "Why can't you see that I'm not even a BLOODY KING yet? In case you forgot, Your Majesty, your prince here is still a young man who wants to explore the world before he doesn't have a chance to do so! You never let me grow up like all the children did, and now when I'm going to step into adulthood, you restrict me even more! For what? So I can grow up to be some worthless antisocial bastard who doesn't even know how to relate to his dog?" he exclaimed. With a frustrated grunt, Vegeta stormed out of the room.

King Vegeta placed a hand on his face, sighing deeply. "Maryssa, please guide me." he said to himself. "I don't know what to do with our son anymore."

* * *

Nightfall came, and the moon had long illuminated the city where its inhabitants have long visited the land of dreams. Vegeta, however, was the only person who hadn't slept yet. He spent the whole night gazing at the stars and the bright moon, as if searching for an answer to his ordeals. To enjoy the last years of his adolescence while fulfilling his obligations as a prince wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. It'll be only a few more years before he can kiss goodbye to his freedom.

He sighed. His life was never normal. Ever since he was a child, he had been groomed and trained to be a king. That was fine – it was the very thing he aspired to be anyway. But he didn't want to just BE a king – he wanted to be a king to the people.

His people.

This is exactly why he wanted to go out into the world, explore it and understand it as much as he could, so that one day, when he will be crowned King of Tytania, he would not be just a King to Tytania, but a King to the world.

He folded his arms on the window sill and rested his head on them. The moon was still shining, but from the horizon, he could see dawn breaking. He had been up for so long he didn't realize it was already morning. He waited a bit longer until he could see the rays of the sun peeking through the sky, then he got up and left his room. It was a good time for some morning workout.

He went all the way down towards the courtyard, greeting a few servants who were surprised to see their prince up so early. He stopped as he breathed in the fresh morning air, inhaling slowly as he cleared his mind. Then, he exhaled slowly, feeling calm and composed. His eyes closed in deep meditation, focusing on nothing more than clearing his mind.

As he opened his eyes, he assumed a fighting stance, like a skilled martial artist. Then, he threw one punch in the air, beginning a flurry of punches and kicks, moving swiftly, leaving little space between each move. He may be using weapons now, but he always found the old Saiyan way of fighting very convenient.

He continued to perform a few more swift kicks aimed at nothing in particular. He jumped high in the air and threw a spin-kick, then delivered a flurry of more punches to some invisible enemy. At last, he stopped, catching his breath. He wanted to practice a few Ki blasts, but decided against it. He remembered, with scorn and disappointment, what happened the other day. Due to blasting too many Ki blasts and throwing a powerful finishing blast in the gravity chamber that day, he collapsed of exhaustion. The doctor then informed his father that, unfortunately, there had been a genetic disorder that lay dormant in his body – and had been triggered by the excessive usage of Ki. In other words, too much Ki could kill him.

He wiped off sweat from his bow and walked back into the palace when he saw his father at the door.

"Up early?" King Vegeta asked with a smile.

Vegeta smiled in return as he walked up towards his father. "Yes. I just…couldn't sleep." He sighed. "I had too many things on my mind."

King Vegeta patted his son's back as they both entered the palace. "Listen, son..I was thinking of yesterday."

"What about it? If you thought you had been too harsh on me, I've forgiven you."

"That's good to hear, but I was thinking more in the lines of something else."

Vegeta turned to his father. "What is it?"

King Vegeta smiled. "I know you, my son. You don't just want to be a typical King. You want to be able to know and understand your people greatly – and I think that's a clever move. But you must remember even though in peaceful times, enemies still lurk around, waiting for the chance to destroy us."

"And your point would be?"

"The Great Trials begin in three weeks. At that time, you'll be able to hone your skills and gear your body for the Trials later. If you make it to the finals, you have a chance to serve next to me and my men. That means you'll have greater opportunity to travel and learn more of this world's people – without having to sneak out." King Vegeta then stayed silent, waiting for his son's response.

Vegeta was stunned, digesting the information. Was his father for real? Would he finally have a chance at freedom to learn what the world had to offer? He broke into a smile and threw his arms round his father.

"Thank you so much, father. That's the best thing you've ever done for me."

King Vegeta returned the hug and placed his hands on his son's shoulders as he let go of the hug. "Don't thank me yet - thank me when all your efforts have paid off. And I have something else to tell you."

"There's more?"

"If you would follow me, then yes." King Vegeta walked past Vegeta as he led Vegeta to the northern wing of the castle. Curious, the prince followed his father.

* * *

The northern wing was off-limits to everyone except for the King. Nobody was allowed to come here unless with special permission from the King and approved by fifty members of the Council. Even though the wing was dimly lit and had seemed empty for years, it was well-kept. Not even a single dust lay on a statue or a portrait on the wall – a mystery since not even maids can come over to clean the place. The walls were decorated with tapestries and portraits of Tytania's past, and lined with statues of mythical creatures that Vegeta had never seen nor put a name to them. At the top of the walls, plaster carvings of gargoyles peer sinisterly at him.

Upon reaching a door, King Vegeta stopped. Vegeta stood beside of him, getting more curious. What was behind the great doors were beyond him, but from the dim lighting, he could make out what seemed to be a mural.

"Stay here." He ordered, and entered through the doors. Vegeta didn't really know why he listened, but he stayed anyway.

King Vegeta returned and closed the door, a small black rectangle box tucked under his arm. Nodding with a smile, he showed the box to Vegeta.

"This has been in the family for generations. I wanted to give it to you earlier, but I didn't have the time to."

"I understand, father, you were busy in those last three years."

"But now, I'm honored to be given this chance. Here." He placed the box in Vegeta's hand. "Open it."

Removing the lid from the box, Vegeta was stunned to see beautiful craftsmanship – in the box, cushioned with black satin, was a gleaming keychain shaped into a sword. Everything about it was made in great detail, from the small motif on the hilt all the way to the words engraved on the small blade: "Nil Desperandum".

"Never despair." Vegeta whispered to himself.

"His father nodded. "Our family motto. "That keychain was, from what I heard from my father, fashioned from a magic pendant owned by our family from long ago. To make it appealing to the male heirs, it was changed into a keychain."

"You think it could be magic?"

King Vegeta laughed. "I don't think so. If it was, I don't know how to activate it."

Vegeta looked at his father questioningly.

"It's yours now. Keep it and use it well." Said King Vegeta, putting his hand over his son's, the keychain between them.

"Thank you." Said Vegeta.

"Come, it's almost day. It's about time we have breakfast. And later, why don't you take Tarble and Ffenrir out to the Millenial Festival later on? They've been too restless last night."

Vegeta laughed. "Of course I will, father."

"And you'll be coming with me to greet the warriors who will reach here today for the Great Trials, yes?"

"They're coming today?"

"Yes, in great numbers. We shall give them a warm Tytanian welcome when they reach here."

Vegeta nodded. Somehow it was going to be a great day for him.


	2. Chapter One: Meet All My New Friends

Chapter 1: Meet All My New Friends

No Tytanian is left without work. Each and every able adult living in Tytania has something to do, even if they don't feel like it. From artisans to merchants, all the way down to the famous weapon makers of Tytania. It has been widely accepted that no Saiyan, the majority that makes up the kingdom, should all be warriors – therefore, a great number of them pursue different careers. Saiyans make excellent blacksmiths and gunmakers; in fact, many of them world's most gifted weapon makers are Saiyans. Not many people of other races can rival the craftsmanship and practicality of a weapon made from a Saiyan's hands. The very notion alone shows just how much the warrior's spirit was ingrained in the Saiyans' souls.

This was what Vegeta had in mind when he saw the numerous display of weapons that were on show in front of him. He had only stepped into Leene Square, Tytania's main community square, with his two brothers and already he saw a great number of weapons in front of him. There were durable broadswords that were extremely sharp and can cut through even metal with ease. There were formidable snipers that allow their users to shoot a target from miles away, causing the target to be caught unawares, making it the perfect hunting weapon. There were also gunblades. Gunblades fashioned from the rarest, most durable metal, with gunpower that can rival over 100 Magnums. There were even some gunblades made from diamond, allowing more stability and attack power. It was, to say the least, weapon heaven. No wonder many warriors around the world would go great lengths to get their hands on weapons made in Central Tytania.

However, he knew his younger brothers were not the least bit interested. Tarble would rather check out the Bekkler Laboratory of Horrors, and Ffenrir would want to watch the races. It was easy to read them out – they were still kids, after all. He can rely on Tarble to be well-behaved and not stray too far into the crowd. But for Ffenrir, he had to keep an eye out for him, as the little 7-year-old boy was confined to a wheelchair and was unable to walk and run like all the other children his age.

"Look at that!" Ffenrir said as he pointed at the race. Yeap, sure enough. Trust Ffenrir to be interested in the games.

Vegeta had to admit; watching those racers running around in circles was amusing. Each time they raced, some people were sure to place bets. And it was always the same people. He knew – he saw them for four times already.

Tarble made this fact known. Kneeling over to Ffenrir he said, "We've been seeing them racing for four times now. Why don't we go and see if there's anything else around?"

Ffenrir pouted. "But it's so fun to watch them run around in circles. It just shows how silly they are!"

Vegeta chuckled. "Well, that's something! Okay, we'll come back here and watch all these buffoons again later on – but for now, why don't we – "

"STEP RIGHT UP, FOLKS, TO THE NORTHERN ATRIUM AND WITNESS LORD PARAGUS' LATEST INVENTION!"

"Aaaaaaaand there's something worthwhile to see!" Vegeta exclaimed as he heard the announcement over the intercom. "Let's go, boys! You never know what Lord Paragus cooked up this time." He said as he looked on toward the atrium where many people were gathering.

"Sounds like fun!" said Tarble excitedly. "Can we go? We might be able to test his inventions again!"

"How about this – why don't you take Ffenrir to see the demonstration? I have to go back and follow Father to greet the contestants of the Great Trials."

Ffenrir's eyes widened. "They're coming today?" he exclaimed, a big smile on his face. Vegeta nodded eagerly.

"Okay!" said Tarble. "You can count on me, brother! Do you want anything from the fair?"

Vegeta smiled slyly. "If you can, get me the diamond gunblade. I've been setting my sights on that one for a long time already." He said jokingly, to which Tarble laughed as he shook his head. After ensuring that Ffenrir was comfortable in his wheelchair and giving them enough money to spend, he left the two boys and headed off back to the palace.

* * *

The Royal Vegeta Rail Link (RVRL) was packed with people from all over the continent. Many residents of Tytania relied on the rail system to get around the kingdom and to the Northern and Southern regions. Because today was a public holiday, many of the citizens had gathered around to greet family members and friends from other regions, who had travelled for days to reach Central Tytania. Some had taken it as an opportunity to reunite with family and friends, many had come to witness the Great Trials, and some even took the opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of Tytanian life and take a holiday in the countryside.

However, a great number of them had come to the station not to reunite with loved ones. In fact, many of them were there to see, with their own eyes, those who had come to their Kingdom to participate in the Great Trials.

Among these people were the King, his Crown Prince and their escorts. They were to give these warriors a warm welcome to their Kingdom – a practice that had been carried out for centuries when numerous Great Trials were hosted every three years. Even the King was waiting anxiously as they waited for that special train that carried the Great Trials' prospective participants.

Vegeta didn't really care much. He knew quite a number of these participants. One of them, he reckoned, was definitely going to be his maternal cousin who was living in the Northern region of Tytania. Another one was Broly (definitely – he had been going about it for months). And another person was the mysterious Namekian who he had met during his trip to Meridia with his father. He wondered, though, whether the two out of the three he knew would come.

"There they are!"

Vegeta looked up, and he could have sworn he heard his father exclaimed "Finally!" when he saw the train. Unlike all the rest of the trains, the special train was much shorter. Its sides bear the decals of the Royal Tytanian crest, with red and white colors adorning it. It slowed down before stopping, gradually, in front of the crowd who were anticipating them.

The doors opened. Out stepped the participants from their coaches – ferocious warriors whose multiple scars on their faces and visible body parts denoted years of experience in the battlefield, highly graceful men and women whose streamlined bodies called for great agility, and faces of young, inexperienced fighters who have high expectations and potential. Vegeta noted them all with interest.

"Welcome, challengers, to the Kingdom of Central Tytania!" King Vegeta exclaimed enthusiastically. "I am, today, very honored to be able to see you all here, all your glowing faces in front of me. I wish you all a great journey of adventure, and give us the best you have!" As he ended his brief speech, he received a grand standing ovation.

Vegeta sauntered out from the crowd amidst of all the excited commotion and looked around. At a corner, he saw a few people his age mingling and chatting. He recognized some of them – his maternal cousin and the Namekian. While his cousin was talking happily with the others while the Namekian remained silent, leaning against a nearby pillar, his eyes closed. Among the small group was a ruffian of a guy with messy, ruffled hair and scars on his face, a little boy who has no nose and was wearing full adventure gear complete with goggles, a boy and a girl with musical instruments - the boy had a guitar and the girl had a portable keyboard with her – who Vegeta assumed to be twins because of their similarity in appearance, a bald young man with three eyes, who looked like a priest from the looks of him, a ruddy-faced boy with long, spiky white hair, and lastly, another lad who looked exactly like his cousin, only much more fair-skinned. Beside them, two girls, a black-haired, modestly-dressed lady and a more vogue turquoise-haired girl, stood by, chatting and sharing some gossip, giggling as they talked. _Yeap, typical teenagers,_ Vegeta thought. _At least I have a gang to belong to._

Before he could even approach them, though, he was startled by a hand touching his shoulder. He turned around to see Broly grinning devilishly behind him.

"You're not goin' there without me, right?" he asked. "That was so bad of you, coming over to see all these warriors without even telling me!"

Vegeta huffed. "You seemed so busy at the fair that I didn't want to bother you. Speaking of which, how in the world did you manage to worm out of there? I thought that invention was the highlight of it."

Broly grinned as they both went towards the small group. "Easy. There's a lot of people around there that my old man just said 'yeah, go on' without even realizing he was going to be one man short. So I went and skedaddled." He explained, snickering. "Anyway, I saw your brothers. They were a little surprised to see me leave, so I led them to my old man and left."

"That's very nice of you." Vegeta remarked. At this comment, Broly only huffed. "'Nice' isn't exactly a word you can use to describe me." Broly replied.

"Huh." Vegeta said simply. They had already come closer to the group, who had noticed their presence with smiles and surprised looks. Vegeta and Broly smiled in return. "Hi," Vegeta began, raising his hand in a wave at them all. "I'm Vegeta. It's great to see all of you here."

"Um…he's really PRINCE Vegeta." Broly said. "I'm Broly by the way. Welcome…" He said with a grin, his arm extended dramatically towards the exit of the railway station, where the view of the kingdom was gloriously clear. "TO TYTANIA!" he exclaimed, trying to sound dramatic.

There was silence. They all looked at Broly, some with amusement, some with quizzical looks on their faces. Broly, upon realizing he made a complete fool of himself, turned red and slowly brought his arm down, turning back to them sheepishly. "Whoops," he said, "got a little carried away back there."

Vegeta looked at him with one eyebrow arched upwards in distaste, then turned back. "Please don't be put off by his show of idiocy – he's a smart guy really."

"Hey!" Broly protested.

"As he said, welcome to Tytania." Vegeta said with a smile. "Will you be joining in the Great Trials?"

"Well, duh." The ruffian answered with a cocky grin. "We're so going to be there! I'm Yamcha, by the way." He continued, extending his hand toward Vegeta, who took it and shook it heartily. "Nice knowing ya, your Highness."

"Ah, no need for formalities." Said Vegeta. "You probably noticed Broly barely called me that ever."

"But isn't that a little disrespectful?" the short boy blurted out, then covered his mouth quickly. "Sorry, didn't mean to say that."

"No worries, I never consider that a disrespect among friends." Vegeta said, dismissing the boy's comment with a smile. "And you're all my friends – only I'm not well-acquainted with you all yet."

"Heh heh." The goggled boy laughed sheepishly. "I'm Krillin. Nice to meet you, Vegeta.

The bald man nodded towards the two Saiyans. "Tien." He said simply.

"Call me #17," the guitar-boy said, pointing to himself, "and this is #18." He continued, pointing at the blonde-haired girl. "We're twins."

"Figured as much." Vegeta said, shaking their hands. He turned to the red-skinned lad, who smiled and shook his hand. "I'm Jeice." The boy said, in a deep, thickly articulated accent.

"Have you forgotten me?" Vegeta's cousin remarked in mock disdain. "I didn't come all the way from the North to be ignored, you know!"

Vegeta laughed as he gave his cousin a hearty hug. "Good to see you again, Turles."

"The same to you." Turles replied in return. "Yeah, my dad sends his regards. He's coming round in a few weeks in time for the Great Trials."

"You know each other?" Yamcha asked quizzically.

"Yes," Turles answered, "we're cousins."

"I'm Vegeta's cousin too." Broly chimed in.

They all looked at them in surprise. "Wow," Krillin remarked, "does that mean you're all royal?"

"Technically…" Vegeta said with a shrug. "We're only connected maternally, though. Our mothers are sisters."

"That's awesome!" said Jeice. "I wonder how it feels to have such close-knit cousins, though…"

"Well…anyway," Vegeta said, concluding the chat and changing the subject, "who are those lovely ladies over there?"

At this comment, the turquoise-haired girl laughed. "I didn't think the Prince of Tytania would have such a nice sense of humor! I'm Bulma Briefs." She replied, introducing herself. "And this is Chichi." she said, pointing towards the black-haired girl. Chichi only smiled and waved at them, but said nothing more.

Broly's eyes widened. "No way. THE Bulma Briefs?"

"Well, yeah!"

"Oh God, your dad was my freaking _hero_." Broly gushed. "Tell me, how's he doing?"

Bulma smiled. "He's doing pretty good. He did say it was an honor that the son of Lord Paragus would consider him a role model…" she said with a giggle. Broly only grinned at her, and they proceeded to begin chatting about scientific breakthroughs and the latest technology, while the others began to chat amongst themselves about the upcoming Great Trials and how they were going to prepare for it. Vegeta only smiled and shook his head, and looked at the Namekian, who only stared at him.

"So you came." He said simply.

"For the sake of breaking away from the mundane." The Namekian remarked. "Never thought the Prince himself would come over to give me a warm welcome."

Vegeta chuckled. "You do remember we have a bit of a score to settle over last time, right Piccolo?"

"If you're referring to that battle where you lost most humiliatingly, it probably is."

"Huh." Vegeta huffed. "It won't be an easy one the next time."

"I'll wager my bets on it." Piccolo responded, and with a smirk, he left the train station. Vegeta looked on with a scowl on his face, and didn't notice Turles' presence until he lightly tapped the prince on the shoulder.

"Hey," he said.

"Huh? Oh, sorry Turles." Said Vegeta.

"Did you have any previous dispute with him?"

"Yeah. I intend to settle that score in the Great Trials." The prince replied. "He may be the best in his place, but I won't be defeated a second time."

Turles chuckled. "Still the sore loser as ever, eh Vegeta?"

"Shut up."

"Oh, by the way," Turles said, looking around. "Have you seen the other guy?"

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow. "What other guy?"

"The one that looked like me but…fairer."

Vegeta looked around. He hadn't placed much thought on the man, and now he remembered. His eyes skimmed around the area, but there was no sign of the fair-skinned Turles look-alike anywhere. "Strange," he said, "he's gone."

"I've been meaning to tell you this. I think he's Uncle Bardock's long-lost son."

"What, seriously?"

"Vegeta, the guy _looks_ like me. Heck, he looks like Uncle Bardock _all around_. It should have been obvious!" said Turles, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, don't blame me. I didn't even notice him."

"We met on the same train, like everyone else. When I asked him, he said he only knew his grandfather – some guy named Gohan. If you ask me, I think he just…doesn't know his real identity."

"Hey, what the hell are you guys talking about?" Broly broke in, joining them.

"He's talking about the guy from earlier – the one that looked like him." Vegeta explained.

"What, the more snowy-like Turles?" said Broly mockingly.

"Shut up." Turles snapped. "Anyway, so yeah – I think he didn't know about anything. Raditz did say they were completely separated when he was only a baby."

"Well, that explains everything."

"You tellin' us that that guy's our cousin too?"

"Absolutely."

"Cripes."

"Doesn't matter." Said Vegeta. "When we meet him again, we'll get to know him more. C'mon, let's go back – we've been here long enough."

"Hey Turles," said Broly. "You gonna stay with me or with Geta over here?"

"With Vegeta, obviously." Said Turles, raising an eyebrow. "We have our own chambers there. Besides…I DON'T want to stay in that sloppy room of yours."

Vegeta laughed, but Broly was far from pleased. "What the HELL? I CLEANED up my room for FIVE FLIPPING HOURS just to expect your arrival, you jackass!" he exclaimed.

"Oh Broly, you still forget how 'evil' I could be, don't you?" Turles teased. "Hey, just kidding. We've got a few weeks - one of those day's I'll come over and sleep in your house, alright?"

"You got yourself a deal – your Royal Assness." Said Broly, mocking the dark-skinned Saiyan in return. With a peal of hearty laughter, they joined the crowd and left the bustling train station, where King Vegeta waited for them in the corner.

"Ah, Father." Vegeta greeted his king. "Waiting for us?"

King Vegeta smiled. "Of course. I didn't want to interrupt you while you were busy making friends. Ah, Turles, so good to see you." He reached out and hugged his nephew.

"Good to see you too, Uncle." Said Turles in return. "Can I stay in the palace for these few weeks?"

"But of course! You're always welcome. I believe Vegeta needed some companionship anyway – he's been quite lonely with Broly helping out your uncle Paragus with that invention of his – speaking of which, what DID your father invent, Broly?" King Vegeta asked, looking at Broly.

Broly gave his signature 'it's-a-work-of-genius' grin, and remarked "It's a teleportation device. He wants to use it to improve our transportation system, and he's gonna send over the proposal to you later on."

At this, Vegeta cocked an eyebrow. "What's wrong with our rail system?"

"Oh, nothing wrong, I can assure you – he just thought it makes things easier, especially if you want to ship over heavy stuff in a short time."

"Then it shouldn't be considered as a transportation device then." King Vegeta remarked. "But it makes a great delivery system. Your father is a genius."

"He gets that all the time."

"Tell your father he and you are invited to dinner later tonight – I'll discuss it with him while you boys can have some more get-together later on." Said King Vegeta, patting his son on the back. "Your other uncles are coming over tomorrow, so I believe we can all have a good family reunion then."

Vegeta looked at his father. "PLEASE, don't tell me Signior Casanova's coming too – how's he doing, Turles?"

"Still a right cad as ever." Turles answered, shrugging. "He just met me a few weeks ago and telling me how I should be looking for a girlfriend at this age."

"Oh God," said Broly, "if you don't watch out, he'll charm the birds out of the trees. And then all the birds in the Garden of Arjuna will run extinct, I tell you! Keep him away from there, uncle; he's a damn dangerous poacher, that guy!" At this, they all laughed.

"Come, boys, we can continue this in the palace." Said King Vegeta, leading them all away towards the exit.

"Hey, since you're coming, you wanna sleep over with us tonight?" Vegeta asked Broly.

"Well, sure, why not." Broly responded. "Let me just go back and tell my old man about it. See ya later." With a wave, he left the royal trio, and headed back to his home to notify his father about the King's invitation. King Vegeta and the boys headed back to their vehicle, which was waiting for them, and returned towards the palace.


	3. Chapter Two: To Thine Own Self Be True

A/N: Okay, it took me a really long time to have this chapter completed. It's rather complex, to tell the truth. But I'm glad it's over and done with all the same. Thank goodness for inspiration!

And to all Muslim members, happy Ramadhan Al-Mubarak, and may Allah bless your entire Ramadhan!

* * *

Chapter Two: To Thine Own Self be True

The palace of Tytania was never short of being known as a grand one. From afar, one can see the white walls of the palace glowing in the sun's light. Indeed, the palace is completely white, with its ivory marble floors and white limestone walls, white pebbles littering, rather orderly, around the path connecting the gates to the main entrance, and white flowers lining the gardens. It was known as the White Palace, and was one of the most beautiful infrastructures known in the land.

Inside, there were approximately 230 rooms, of which most of them were located in the servants' quarters. In the upper section of the palace, there were only 30 rooms, of which half of these were used by the palace officials, the King and his princes, and special rooms reserved for special occasions. At the centre, the throne room was located, and if you were to walk up the stairs located at each side of the throne, you would eventually reach the dining hall. This hall was rarely used unless there were any special feasts being held in the palace. The King and his sons usually ate their meals in a smaller, family-sized room located just three rooms next to the King's.

The dining room was small as compared to the dining hall, but enough to fit in many people at once, perhaps may accommodate up to 20 people. In the middle of the room, there was a fairly large, rounded teak table, and a few chairs. A fireplace was located north of the room, with a few bookshelves and armchairs, covered by a warm rug littered with cushions. This was where the family can relax and enjoy time together for a while after dinner.

And this was where Vegeta, Broly and Turles hung out after dinner. Vegeta's brothers had retired earlier to bed and King Vegeta had gone together with Lord Paragus to discuss about the latter's latest invention.

"So I told him, 'No way, YOU can have the furball instead, I don't want any fuzzballs in my house!'"

Peals of laughter were heard as the boys chatted on while sipping hot chocolate from their mugs.

"You never were a big fan of animals, Broly." Vegeta remarked with a smile.

"Yeah, true, I never liked them nasty vermin." Broly replied, taking another gulp of his chocolate. "Better off without them, unless they wanna be crushed by all those machines in my house."

Turles laughed. "How will you know how nasty they are if you never kept one yourself?"

"Hey, I just do, okay? No pet can survive in there unless it's a great big dinosaur. Speakin' of which, how's the mutt?"

Turles cocked an eyebrow as he laid himself on a green satin cushion. "What mutt?"

"MY mutt." Vegeta retorted dryly. "And his name is Zanzo. Honestly Broly, it's only been three YEARS."

"Three years is enough for me to forget its name, dumbass."

"Hmph. If it wasn't for you who helped him out, I'd have thrown a rock at you right now. And for your information, yes, he's okay, and he's sleeping in my father's room."

"He seems to like the old man better than you, huh?" Broly ducked as a red pillow sailed through the air. "What the hell was that for?" he said in mock annoyance.

"Because you, sir, touch yourself at night!" Vegeta retorted, jokingly.

"Don't change the subject, just answer the damn question!"

All three of them laughed.

"Hey," said Turles, "how are you guys going to prepare for the Trials?"

Vegeta hugged a large blue pillow. "Training, of course. How else can we prepare for it?"

"I know, but HOW exactly?"

"Hmm." Vegeta mused, leaning back on an armchair, which was his father's favorite chair. The fireplace crackled whilst warming the room. "I'm thinking of focusing on my physical attacks and this wonderful new magic I learned."

At this, the other two perked up. "You never told me you learned magic, you sly dog!" Broly remarked.

"What kind of magic is it?" Turles asked, eager to know.

Vegeta smiled. "Watch." he said. He brought his hand in front of the fire in the fireplace, and concentrated, staying silent for a few moments. Within a few seconds, a circle of glowing incantations circled his body, channelled through his arm and centered itself around his hand. Then, the fire, which was previously only small flames and ember, grew bigger in a flash, brightening the room with its red glow.

Broly and Turles were clearly impressed.

"A-MAZING!" Broly exclaimed. "Inferno magic! That's uber cool!"

"Yeah!" Turles piped up, agreeing. "Not many people can master that easily, you know!"

Vegeta chuckled. "If you actually think that's already a mastery, I'd hate to think how you'll make a really bad mage!" he remarked. "I'm still new to this, though I have to admit generating fire with alchemy is much easier than with magic."

"Nothing beats alchemy, Veg, you know it." Broly replied.

"I guess so." Vegeta responded, looking at the burning fire. They remained silent for a few moments until Vegeta spoke again. "Are you guys excited?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course we are. Why'd you ask?"

Vegeta leaned back on the edge of the chair again. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just nervous."

After spending a few more hours in the room, they soon retired to Vegeta's bedroom. One would be surprised at how they can fit into the Prince's room. They slept on the bed where Vegeta was supposed to sleep on while Vegeta assumed his favorite spot - the single window sill-bed he would always sleep on. Within minutes, they were already asleep while he remained awake. He looked out the window, peeking out from the curtains.

The city was absolutely quiet. Not a soul stirred, not a light on save for the street lamps. Vegeta kept on peering at the silent city when he saw it.

A figure dressed in black hobbled along the empty streets, as though leaving hastily from somewhere. Who would want to travel so late at night? Vegeta kept on watching as the figure kept limping and hobbling about further and further away from his view, but then it stopped.

To Vegeta's surprise, the hobbling figure suddenly made a high leap onto a roof. It wasn't a slow movement either - it was almost the speed of light. This figure continued to flit from roof to roof until it disappeared into the night.

Surprised as he was, Vegeta took no further notice of it. Must've been a ninja, he thought. He then settled down comfortably as he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

Somewhere out in the night, a maisonette situated in the corner of the city's shopping district was still well-lit. It appeared that the residents in the house were still not asleep yet. However, it would have posed many questions - the maisonette had been abandoned for a long time.

Inside, there was a young man. This was the man Turles had described earlier, the boy who vanished all of a sudden. His hazel eyes reflected the bright fire lit up in the old fireplace, shielded only by his spiky bangs. Tytanian nights were always known to be bitingly cold at times. Hugging himself for warmth, he kept on peering at the fire, reminiscing the days since he left Master Roshi and went on training on his own.

He looked up at the ancient grandfather clock, which, surprisingly, was the only thing that actually worked in this house. It was already 2.33 am. He looked again at the fire, as though he was pondering something very deeply. He knew he couldn't sleep, not when he felt a small, but highly prominent, negative aura in the city. And though he was only there for almost a day, he could feel it growing stronger. It was slight, but definitely stronger.

"Something bad's going to happen." he said to himself, his bright eyes looking around the house, as though he was talking to the spirits still lurking inside the small house. He was still sitting in front of the fire, watching as the flames danced while they consumed the rotted logs, turning them into cinders. At last, he closed his eyes and slept.

* * *

"You want to start training today?" King Vegeta asked with puzzlement over breakfast. They had their breakfast in the same room, where Broly was busy wolfing down his egg sandwiches while Vegeta was still finishing his half-boiled egg. Turles simply had a waffle.

"Well…yes." said Vegeta, playing around with the yolk. "Anything wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. It's good that you boys decided to take it up earlier."

Vegeta smiled as he took another spoonful of egg. "Can we practice in the old abbey? At least there are a lot of strong monsters in there."

At this, Broly spluttered. "WHAT?"

This surprised Turles and King Vegeta as well.

"I forbid you." said King Vegeta.

"Why?"

"It's too dangerous. Nobody has ever been able to survive in there. Those who do end up mad or possessed. I CANNOT allow you to go there."

King Vegeta expected his son to object to this, but to his (and the others' surprise), he just stayed quiet and said "Oh well, that's okay. I was only suggesting."

For once, King Vegeta felt that he had the upper hand. "Good." he said as he rose up to leave. "You may train anywhere you like, BUT the old abbey. I have a lot of work to do. Have fun." he said, and left the room.

As the doors closed, both Broly and Turles looked at Vegeta. "It'll be a sad day if I actually said YES when my father said NO."

"Vegeta? You can't be serious?" Broly squeaked.

"I am serious."

"But that place is full of violent ghosts."

"You're not scared, are you?"

"No, but I'm trying to say it from a logical point of view. Geta, NOBODY survived that place."

"I don't know what place you guys are referring to, but from the sound of it, he has a point." Turles commented.

"Chickens." Vegeta retorted. "Fine, I'LL go there myself." He got up to leave, but no sooner than he was a few steps away when he heard Broly say "Wait!" He turned around.

"Fine. You win. We're comin' with ya." he said with a disapproving frown. "Where should we meet?"

Vegeta smiled, as though saying 'I knew you'll agree to me eventually!' and looked around. "Where's the abbey again?"

Broly stopped to think about it for a while, while looking out the window. It was still quite early in the morning, and the sun hadn't fully risen yet. "You remember the old maisonette located at the corner of the shopping district?"

"Yeah."

"One of the rooms hid an old staircase where it leads to a tunnel. That tunnels connects the maisonette with the entrance to the old abbey. I don't know what connection could it have to the abbey, though."

"Adds more to the mystery, I see. Okay, let's go." said Vegeta.

* * *

They walked on the streets, aware that the place was still relatively quiet. It was a good thing Vegeta decided to wake up early for once, or else someone was bound to notice something amiss. They soon reached the maisonette, and entered it.

The place was empty for years. Cobwebs and dust coated the furniture, the furniture was old and worm-eaten, and even the fireplace seemed like it could collapse. Some of the stair steps were missing, while the ones that were still intact seemed as though it would give way at any time.

Vegeta and Broly looked around, awed at just how old the place is when Turles spoke.

"Someone's been in the house."

"Huh?" Vegeta blurted out.

"Look at the fireplace. The ashes here - it's only been here for a couple of hours."

"Who'd be here anyway?" Broly asked. "I don't think it's a charming place for people to live in for even a day."

"You never know. Tramps, gypsies; anyone who'd only stay here for a day or two and then leave. So, where's this room?"

Broly looked up. "It should be somewhere up there, I think."

"That's not possible." said Turles. "If it leads to a tunnel, it should go DOWN."

"You never know!"

While Broly and Turles were bickering about where the exact place should be, Vegeta looked around the room. Everything seemed to hold secrets - secrets that were otherwise unknown to them. He looked at the old ornaments on the mantelpiece tucked next to the staircase when he noticed something. There was a small door.

"Guys." he called out. "Come over here."

They stopped arguing and went over to Vegeta's side. "A stairway cupboard." Turles remarked.

"Can you open it?" asked Broly.

Vegeta tugged at the doorknob and turned it. Surprisingly, the door opened easily despite being old. They peered inside, expecting a small, enclosed space of junk.

To their surprise, there was only a vast darkness.

"Looks like we found our hidden staircase." Vegeta remarked. "Come on." He took the first step, and continued downward, his cousins following closely behind. Turles closed the door behind them.

"It's dark." Turles remarked.

"I'll fix that." said Broly, and clapped his hands together. Sparks flew around them, and he was able to produce fire in his hand. The staircase instantly lit up.

"Still looks like a long way down." Vegeta remarked. "No turning back, I guess."

"This better be good." Broly grumbled, and they went downwards.

* * *

The man returned from his breakfast, and noticed some other auras mingling together with the dark energy. However, they weren't as intimidating - he could recognize one of them.

"They're here?" he mused to himself. He noticed the stairway cupboard as well, where remnants of the energy lingered around. Opening it, he discovered the hidden stairway - and the negative energy hit him in full blast. Knowing that it could be where the energy was coming from, he hastily went down the stairway himself, ignoring the darkness.

* * *

Vegeta couldn't explain the change going on, but the deeper he descended down the stairs, the more agitated and angry he became. He had to repeatedly clench his fists to avoid punching any of his cousins for no apparent reason at all.

What was going on?

He tried to think of the possible reasons why this change was happening. But he couldn't, and it only made him more frustrated. He did, however, notice that there was a dark, menacing aura lingering about the place - and it got stronger as they descended the stairs towards God knows where.

So preoccupied he was of this matter that he didn't realize Broly had reached the last of the stairs, causing him to collide into the other Saiyan in front of him.

"Oh - ow! Watch where you going, idiot!" Vegeta hissed as he bumped into Broly.

"No, YOU watch where you going. We're already at base." Broly hissed back, and raised the flame high in the air. From what little light they could make out from the dim fire coming from Broly's palm, they could see it - the dark, vast tunnel that connects the maisonette to the old abbey.

"Um..." Turles hesitated, "...it's not too late to turn back now."

"Maybe we should. Geta, I don't think this is a good idea. Let's turn back. This place keeps giving me the creeps."

Vegeta turned to them with a malicious stare. "But you two already AGREED to it. Once a Royal agrees, there's no turning back. Now stop acting like a bunch of yellow-bellied cowards and keep going." He took a few steps ahead, and stopped. Turning back, he placed his hands on his hips and looked at them. "Well?"

Turles only shook his head. "I can't believe you. I thought it's obvious how much negative energy is in here. And it's really strong."

"Yes, Turles, I know."

"THEN? You're still gonna go even though it's possible you won't even come out of the abbey alive?" Broly exclaimed. "No Veg, we're turning back, even if you DON'T want to." he growled, grabbing Vegeta's hand and tried to pull him away from the tunnel. But the prince wrenched free from his hand.

"I'm getting sick and tired of all this 'Vegeta-don't-do-it" talk! Fine, if you don't want to come along, I'LL go myself!"

"Are you CRAZY?" Broly shouted, but calmed down. "Veg, stop all this nonsense. Let's get the fuck out of here before your old man notices we're gone for too long."

"He's right." Turles chipped in. "Forget the abbey. Let's just GO."

Vegeta stayed quiet.

"Well?" Broly asked. He sighed. Sometimes he wasn't sure who was the more stubborn person - him or Vegeta. He reached form his cousin's hand again, but was shocked when Vegeta slapped it away.

Shooting an angry glare at them, he answered to them in a cold voice: "Fine. You don't want to come along with me. You could have just said it before we even stepped foot here. If you're going to chicken out and retreat now, be my guest. I'LL GO MYSELF!" With those words, he hastily turned round and ran into the tunnel.

"Vegeta, no! Come back!" Broly shouted. But he was stopped by Turles.

"It's no use. Even if you did catch him and drag him back he's still going to come back in here anyway. I don't understand. He was so cheerful this morning. Why would he suddenly be so...angry?" said Turles.

"Well, what the hell do you propose we do? Follow him?"

"No. Following will not give us any benefit. From the way he's acting now, I say he'd attack us at the next possible moment. We'll have to go back and tell his dad about it."

"And get into big-ass trouble, oh yeah, why don't you." Broly retorted sarcastically. "He'll kill us if we come back telling him we went to the abbey without even BRINGING his son back home! I say we - "

"What are you doing here?"

The voice behind them was so unexpected that it made them jump. Turning back abruptly, they saw the man - the man that looked like Turles, but much fairer. His eyes were a bit larger than Turles', and was of a bright hazel hue. He peered at them questioningly.

"You're not supposed to be here." the man remarked.

"Yeah, well so do you, mister smart-ass." Broly retorted in return.

"Broly! I'm sorry, but we don't have the time to...our friend just went into the tunnel."

"But that's dangerous. Too much negative energy clumping and growing there." the man remarked casually as he walked in front of them and raised his lantern. "We have to get him back."

"Yeah, but you don't know Vegeta, see. Once he sets his mind on something, he ain't never gonna put it down until it's done." Broly explained, rather dryly. "Unless you propose we catch him and knock him cold and tell his dad that a goddamn coconut just fell on his head."

"No, we can't do that." Turles snapped. "Let's just go back and tell his father about it, maybe he knows what to do."

"Turles, he'll fucking KILL US if he knows we actually THOUGHT of going into the abbey! What's more, if he knows Vegeta just suddenly decided to bite our heads off and ran to the abbey - "

"Look, I know you're worried about your friend, but if you're going to keep fighting, it's not going to help anyway." the man remarked, making the two shut up instantly. "I'll go and get him back - it's a good opportunity for me to find out what exactly is contained in that abbey to emanate such a strong negative force."

"Then I'm comin' with ya." Broly grunted. "Better than get me and Veg-head in trouble." Turles was still indecisive.

The man nodded. "Alright, let's go. If your friend wants to go back, it's fine." Broly turned to Turles, cocking an eyebrow. Turles only stared back at them, rather blankly. "You don't want him to die, right?"

"No, of course not! I just thought - "

"Fine, I know, you work on logic, and everything you think is the best solution to everything." Broly said, sighing. "Yeah, okay, go back and tell the King about it. We might need some backup." Nodding at the man, he walked forwards. "Let's go, ah..."

"Goku." the man answered with a smile. "Son Goku."

"Yeah, whatever, Goku. Let's go." They both left and walked towards the tunnel. They were about to disappear into the darkness when they heard footsteps catching up to them. They turned to see Turles joining them, rather hastily.

"I thought you said you - "

"Why let only the two of you get into trouble when you need all the support you can get." Turles answered. "Come on, let's get that fool Vegeta back. Oh, nice knowing you, Goku. Sorry we had to meet like this."

Goku smiled as they marched on, their path lit up by Goku's lantern and Broly's flame. "It's fine. It's a nice change from the conventional introductions."

* * *

It wasn't hard for Vegeta to navigate through the darkness - he was well-adapted to it. However, he felt that it became a little too cumbersome, and activated his fire magic, forming a medium-sized torch in his right hand. He raised it high.

It was still a long way to go.

He looked back. Broly and Turles were probably either catching up to him or had already abandoned him. He couldn't tell for sure. He decided to walk on.

He could see a small glow of light as he kept walking, which became bigger and bigger as he came nearer to it. The tunnel had ended, and he stepped outside into a forested paradise.

The clearing around him was beautiful. He knew, from that instant, he was somewhere in the edge of the Garden of Arjuna. The trees sheltered the clearing well that the sun's rays only shone in small rays, peeking through the leaves. Flowers grew in abundance around the place, and the ruins where the abbey used to stand were covered in ivy.

It didn't seem like a deadly place at all.

Vegeta went towards the ruins and examined it. He noticed there was a platform, but had no idea how to open it. He searched around the rocks, the pillars. Nothing. He sighed and leaned against the wall when he noticed a plaque. He peered at it closely.

_"O child of God! Thou who wisheth to enter the gates of this abbey,_

_Give us a brief sacrifice; an item of great value to thine life,_

_Only when the value is deemeth worthy in the eyes of God_

_The doors to the path of Heaven shalt open wide to thee."_

Vegeta thought long and hard. A item of great value to the self? He fumbled around and had an idea. Yes, the keychain! Quickly he took it out and peered back at the plaque. He could see a small slit there - just enough to stick the small sword keychain in and pull it out again. He stuck it inside and waited.

Nothing.

He pulled it out and tried it again. Still nothing. Was there something wrong? He doubted it - the keychain was a valuable asset to him, so why didn't it work? He stuck it back inside when he felt his thumb graze against a sharp corner, drawing blood.

"Ah!" he interjected, quickly withdrawing his hand and the keychain away. There was a small cut on his thumb, with a little blood. He sucked the blood away while figuring out what else needed to be done.

He didn't have to figure it out for long.

The platform suddenly gave way, and Vegeta had to step away from it lest he fell down. He watched, awestruck, as the platform collapsed one by one, forming a stairway. At last, the collapsing stopped, and the entrance into the old abbey was wide open to him.

"So that's what they meant when they said 'great value to thine life'?" Vegeta mused, slightly disgusted at the thought of blood sacrifice. "That's pretty twisted even for an abbey." He was about to put his keychain back into his pocket when he decided against it. Instead, he fastened it onto the front zipper of his vest, and went hastily down the stairs.

The abbey reeked of death and poison, which greatly surprised Vegeta. Death and poison, despair and negativity - none of these neither have any connotations with a holy place nor should be associated with it. The abbey was in great shambles, with ruins and remnants of what used to be walls and statues, cracked and holed floors, and the relics that did survive any destruction seemed as if they would crumble any time soon.

And the place was littered with bones.

Though unnerved at the sight, Vegeta moved downward anyway. Just as he stepped down on the last of the stairs, he heard the platform moving, and as he stepped up, the platform closed altogether. He was trapped.

It seems that there was no other way to go but move forward.

He was glad that the many torches around the abbey's walls were still lit up, as though there was someone - or something - maintaining the flames to ensure the abbey was always well lit. Grabbing a nearby torch, he walked forward, looking around. He saw a door located in the near end of each wall, and directly in front of him was an opening, which seemed to lead downwards. Vegeta decided to check the doors first.

The first door he opened revealed nothing but rubble. Huge boulders blocked entry into the door, and even when Vegeta gave it a mighty push, they wouldn't budge. Giving up, he tried the other door.

The next door revealed what seemed to be a storeroom, with a treasure chest placed right in the center of it. Cocking an eyebrow, the prince began to wonder what a treasure box was doing there for no apparent reason. Had the priests kept something of value in it? No matter. He decided to save the box for later and explore the storeroom a bit.

From one of the shelves, he managed to procure a small vial of healing potion, a rare Senzu bean, and a book. Judging from the faded gold lettering that said "Journal", and its old, yellowing and tattered pages, Vegeta knew it was a diary - and it had been here for a very long time. When did this happen? He wondered. Carefully, he flipped through the pages.

Most of the entries were of praises and prayers to God, which led Vegeta to think that the diary must have belonged to a priest. He had to admit, the praises and prayers were beautiful, almost poetic. Whoever the priest was, he must have been more religious than anyone else. But then, towards the end of the diary, things began to get more depressing.

Vegeta had learned that, apparently, a terrible plague had hit the abbey many years ago, and that many people had died. The plague was devastating - it would infect the people, make them suffer for months on end, and in the final stage, their bodies would slowly and agonizingly melt into a purplish, poisonous substance, leaving nothing more but bones. A good plus was that those who were splashed in this purple liquid don't get any effects of the plague, only weakened by the poison. That was the diary owner's observation.

What did struck Vegeta with admiration was how the priest managed to keep such an optimistic view even though everything else around him was nothing but suffering and devastation. The prince held his breath as he read one line: The priest eventually was inflicted with the deadly disease as well.

Slowly he turned the page. He read more pages of praise and prayers, and realized that the priest didn't pray for his disease to be gone, nor pray for God to end his suffering quickly. Instead, all he asked for is that this will pass eventually, and that no one else would have to suffer, and that God give him the strength to live on until the day he would join his fallen friends in the vile river of purple flooding the abbey. In the end, Vegeta reached the last of the page:

_"Dear God, my time in this world is reaching to an end. I can feel my insides melting, slowly. It hurts, especially as it pulls my veins and beating heart so! but I care not of the pain. I have such difficulty in breathing, but I let it slide, as I know I must have this recorded. God, I thank You for answering my prayers, for letting me live on as a strong man. I wanted to thank You, too, for making me the last person to go. Even though I am all alone in my deathbed, I do not feel alone. All this suffering had taught me to be strong in the face of adversity._

_I hope to be able to face Thee in Heaven._

_I know not who will find this diary, but if you read this, remember that God would not impose a test unto you unless He knoweth that you can handle it. Take this not as a tribute to the fallen, but rather a lesson of life; to be strong at all times not matter what. _

_I must now take my leave, and succumb to my fate."_

Vegeta felt hot tears stinging his eyes as he read the last line. He was ultimately touched by such a show of courage in such dire circumstances. A plague! So that was what happened in the abbey. Hastily wiping his eyes, he tucked the diary in his bag. "No sir, thank you for teaching me something I never thought of looking all these years." he said to himself, in the hopes that wherever the priest's spirit is, he would hear it. He searched the place, but found nothing more. All that was left was the treasure chest.

He kneeled down and examined it. It didn't have a lock, so Vegeta assumed that it was easy to open. He tried to lift the hood up. To his surprise, it wouldn't budge at all. He tried pushing and pulling with considerable force. Still it won't open. He did it with more force just as he felt himself slapped by something wet and was flung onto the side. Rising up, he felt his cheek, discovering that it was sloppy and very slimy. Saliva! He wiped it hastily, nearly barfing as he did so. He turned to the box.

But it wasn't really a box. Instead, he saw a long tongue sticking out of the lid, a set of impressive teeth lining the lid, and a pair of grumpy eyes staring back at him.

"Why is it that nobody can tell the difference between a box and a cannibox?" the living box complained. "If you're lookin' for the map to this abbey, it's downstairs. DOWNSTAIRS! Not with me! Now leave me alone and let me sleep in peace! It's bad enough hearin' all the wimpy priests moaning about every night, now some cocky little boy decides that I'm a BOX, and so RUDELY PRIED ME OPEN without even BOTHERING to KNOCK!"

"Wait - wait! You live here?" Vegeta asked.

"Stupid question! Of course I live here!" the cannibox snapped. "I lived here long before you humans even made an abbey of this place! And they only made the abbey like 3000 years ago!"

"It was that old?"

"Of course! Naturally, they kept me in this place; see, because they don't want me snappin' at the heel of people who come here to pray. I don't mind - all I do is eat and sleep, and eventually I learned how to speak your language, see. But then the plague hit, and as a monster, I don't get infected by it. Poor humans, though."

Vegeta merely sat as he heard the cannibox's story. He understood - Mystics don't get affected by diseases humans procure, but even they weren't free from the common cold.

"In any case, what brings you here? This place is dangerous. Sure you don't come out melting but nobody makes out of here alive."

"I'm here to find out why it's so." Vegeta answered.

"Ah, idiot, idiot! You're as good as dead the moment you find out what caused it! At the bottom of this abbey, the spirit of the abbot who governed this place resided there. Watch out, mind, he's very vengeful - I tried warnin' everyone but who listens to a cannibox? He just kills and that's that. And people come here only for the treasure."

At this, Vegeta got up. "Thanks. At least now I know what's going on in here."

"Good, now be a good boy and - "

"And I'm going to put that spirit to rest in peace."

"WHAT? You're crazy! Nobody would be able to do that!"

"People come here for the wrong reason, that's probably why they met their doom in the first place. What if this soul only wanted to return to God but was prevented from leaving this place? So I'm going to send him back and put an end to this."

The cannibox sighed. "Fine. Truth to be told, you're the first person to actually think that. Everyone else comes here for the treasure, see. I wish ya good luck."

"Thank you." said Vegeta, and turned to leave. He was out the door when the cannibox hopped to him and nudged him. He looked down.

"What's a cannibox if he doesn't have anything to give, eh?" the cannibox said. Protruding his tongue out, the cannibox revealed a pendant to Vegeta. Picking it up, rather gingerly, he wiped off any drool on it and looked. The pendant was beautiful, with a diamond-shaped crystal in its centre, encased in brass filigree shaped in the form of two angels holding the crystal in place. As Vegeta peered closer, he could see the sword-shaped crucifix inside the crystal.

"It should help protect you from the soul when ya meet him." the cannibox explained. "That way, he can't hurt you too badly." The cannibox hopped back into the storeroom. "Come back to me when you're done, I'll give you a great reward for it. I'll just sleep on it while you do that."

"You have great hopes for me." Vegeta remarked.

"Yeah...it suddenly dawned on me that there's probably something worth waiting for in this world, see." the box answered, and drifted off to sleep, snoring. Smiling, Vegeta closed the door and headed towards the opening he saw earlier. There was only a ladder leading down. He climbed down the ladder and landed neatly. Fastening the pendant around his neck, he looked towards him. Purple liquid oozed around, but he was unafraid.

* * *

Broly, Turles and Goku reached the end of the tunnel, and as with Vegeta, they, too, were awed by the beauty of the place.

"We're probably in the edge of the Garden right now." Broly remarked.

"I never thought the abbey would be this far off!" Turles gushed. Looking around, he noticed the ruins. "There it is." he said, pointing at its direction. "Let's go."

They examined the place. Broly kneeled down and touched the stone 'floor'. Noticing a few things, he got up. "It's a platform." he said. "But it looks much like a floor. Clever, huh?"

"I should think so." Goku answered. "Is there any way we can open this?"

"There should be a device somewhere." said Turles. Let me see if there's any around here…"

"Who needs a contraption?" Broly admonished. "Get out of the way, I'm gonna force this baby open with a little alchemy." Moving away to the side of the platform, they watched as Broly prepared himself. He stood up and clapped his hands together. As he did before in the tunnel, sparks flew around him, and he slammed them on the floor. Instantly, the stone platform disappeared, and reappeared again, transmutated into a stairway leading downwards. At last, when it was done, Broly dusted his hands. "See?" he said. "Science rules." He rushed down the stairs and the other two followed suit.

* * *

Vegeta remembered that the cannibox mentioned of a box containing the map of the abbey. Where was it? Looking around closely, he searched for doors. No sign of them around. Then he spotted it - in plain sight, it was located on a small 'island' amidst the wide gap of purple liquid. He smiled. Things seem to be quite easy.

Vegeta had also noticed there was a makeshift passageway across the liquid, and luckily, it connected to the bit of floor where the chest is. He leapt up to one of the boards, and walked carefully, balancing himself as he crossed. Reaching the platform, he examined the box, just to make sure he didn't come across another grumpy cannibox. Opening it, he was relieved it wasn't. He could see the map inside, and reached out for it, unscrolling it to read its contents.

Currently he found that he was in the third floor of the abbey, and there were two more floors to cover. He surmised that the soul must be in the first floor, so that was his destination. Scrolling it back, he tucked it in his pocket, and walked across the other part of the bridge to the other side. He landed neatly on the floor and dusted himself. No sooner was he gone a few steps when he realized there was something in front of him.

In front of Vegeta, a slow-moving zombie sauntered about, its eyes not taking their gaze off him. He froze. It was the first time he encountered a zombie, and truthfully, it frightened him. Warily, he brandished the gunblades tucked beside him.

The zombie charged at him.

Frightened, Vegeta lashed at the zombie, slashing it across the chest. The zombie was thrown back, but it was unfazed.

"Oh God." Vegeta muttered.

As the zombie mindlessly charged again at him, he rushed forward and swung his gunblades at him, praying fervently in his head that the zombie won't injure him, or worse, bite him. He chopped of one of the zombie's arms, but it kept coming at him. By now Vegeta was completely frightened out of his wits and frantically attacked and hacked away at the zombie, not even stopping. At last, he chopped off the head, in his terror, and he watched in horror as the head flew and landed with splash into the purple liquid. Only then did the zombie stopped moving. What remained of the body fell down, limp, onto the floor.

Vegeta sighed in relief. "I DON'T want to go through that ever again." he muttered, and left the place towards the second floor.

* * *

Goku, Broly and Turles reached the fourth floor, and looked around. Turles examined one of the doors, and closed it again, shaking his head. "No use." he said. "It's blocked."

"What about the other one?" Goku asked.

Broly came out of the storeroom "Nothing much in there, just an old box and a store of rotten stuff." he remarked.

"Then down we go." Goku remarked.

As they walked downwards, Goku shot concerned glances all around the place. The negative aura surrounding this place - it PAINED him. He bit his lip as he tried to withstand the pain he felt as they went one level deeper into the abbey.

* * *

Vegeta had reached the second floor and observed his surroundings once again. He took out his map and read it. He soon noticed something - there were also indicators of where treasure chests were located. Looking back up, he realized there were a lot of doors. "No harm in going for some treasure hunting, I guess." he remarked to himself, and examined one of the doors near him.

He was taken by surprise when he saw what inside and jumped back. There was a chest inside, but a skeletal form seemed to guard it. The skeleton wore a standard soldier's get up, and was looking at him menacingly.

"Come for the treasure and I shall chop you into pieces!" the skeleton admonished. "No humans are allowed in here! Be off with you!"

As Vegeta didn't feel like fighting any more monsters (and still recovering from the shock of fighting the zombie earlier), he decided to heed the skeleton soldier's advice. Closing the door behind him, he looked at the other door. To his relief, no skeletons guarded the room this time, and he opened the chest to procure a large bottle of potion.

The next door revealed two more boxes. One was empty, but the other kept an impressive shoulder guard and a gunblade in it. Vegeta smiled. He took out the gunblade and examined it. It still looked very new even though it had been kept for years, and from the looks of it, it had been well-crafted. He reached into his pocket and took out a small capsule. Clicking on the top, he threw it in their air. There was a small explosion, and a box appeared in front of him. He stored the gunblade and the shoulder guard in the box and pressed a button on the side of the box. The box exploded again and the capsule formed in its place. He placed the capsule in his pocket and resumed his journey to his last destination.

He wondered about how the abbey came to be. The purple liquid must have used to be hundreds of humans, if they were found almost everywhere in such a large capacity. What could have happened here? Surely those who had been here before couldn't have caught the same disease? Or did it have something to do with the ghost?

Vegeta held his torch high so that he could better see his surroundings. Nothing more can be seen except the few doors and the stairway that would lead him to his next destination. Walking towards the stairway, he kept looking around warily in case any zombies decided to jump out of nowhere and pounce on him. He peered down at the stairs and whistled. Wherever it would lead him to, it was a really long, long way down.

There really wasn't a choice anyway. Down it was, then. With a hesitant step, he went down, hoping that whatever it was he might face, it won't be so bad.

* * *

"I can feel their presence." Goku stated, rather matter-of-factly, as they walked along the makeshift bridge, the glow of the purple liquid reflecting on their skin.

"'Their'?" Turles asked. "You mean there are other people in here besides Vegeta and us?"

"Well...there is, but I don't think it's...human." Goku said, condescendingly, his eyes darting around cautiously. They reached the stairs to the third floor, and climbed down. Looking around at the place, they were awed to see how big the space was, but how little the number of doors was.

While Goku and Turles looked around if there was any other passage down, Broly just stood and focused his sights at the few doors available. His attention turned towards the very door nearest to him. _Say, what's in this door?_ Broly thought to himself, and opened it, peeking inside. A sword immediately flew at him, and it took a matter of seconds for Broly to dodge aside before it could stab him in the face. He fell on the floor.

"Hey, what the hell?" he exclaimed as the door stood ajar, revealing the skeleton soldier, who looked at him in a menacing stare as he picked up his sword. Irritated, Broly got up and brandished his large sword. "Hey!" he exclaimed. By now, Goku and Turles rushed towards him to see what was going on.

The skeleton soldier couldn't take it anymore. Having to deal with nosy humans invading his place was the last straw. With a deafening scream, it charged at them, with sword raised in the air.

Broly wielded his sword, and swung it at the skeleton the moment it reached him, sending it flying towards the wall. It crashed, but was unfazed. It once again charged at them, but not before detaching its skull and throwing it at them.

The skull hit Turles on the head, causing him to lose balance. Before any of them can react, the skeleton soldier swung its blade, which managed to slash the now defenceless Turles' arm, creating a deep gash across it. The dark-skinned Saiyan cried out in pain as he held the wound in one arm. It tried to stab Turles before it was knocked off by a powerful kick delivered by Goku.

Broly hit it with his sword again, at the blade this time, crushing its bones with massive force. It was cleaved clean in half, and fell to the floor. However, it still had more in its sleeve – before Broly could smash it into pieces, it formed an Earth spell to his unknowing. Suddenly Broly fell, his sword dropping with a loud clang. He looked back to see a rocky arm holding his leg in place. Acting quickly, he smashed the arm with a forceful kick and picked up his sword hastily. But before he could cleave the skeleton into half, the skeleton was given a powerful electrical shock, causing it to convulse and spasm violently. It still moved a little, but greatly weakened. It was about to attempt to get up when it was engulfed completely in ice, frozen.

Broly turned back to see Turles kneeling, arm raised. He had performed his Frost magic as the final blow. Without hesitation, Broly raised his sword up and, with a mighty swing, smashed the ice-encased skeleton, causing shards of ice to scatter around.

He puffed. "The king wasn't kidding when he said this was a dangerous place." He sighed. Looking back, he realized that his cousin was in trouble, and rushed to see to him. "Hey, you alright?" he asked.

"I'm okay...just a flesh wound." Turles said reassuringly. Goku, who was calmly inspecting the wound, reached for something in his pocket. He took out what seemed to be a small sachet and untied the knot that kept it shut. Reaching inside, he produced a small green bean out of the sachet, and handed it to Turles. "Senzu bean," he explained. "Here, take one."

Nodding, Turles took the Senzu bean and consumed it, rather weakly. Swallowing it, he suddenly felt a sudden change in his body. He felt completely energized and could feel his strength returning. Glancing at his wound, he noticed that it had stopped bleeding – and it didn't hurt anymore.

"This is..." he remarked, lifting his arm up, "…amazing."

Goku merely smiled. "I take it you didn't know what the Senzu bean can do, huh?"

Turles shook his head. "No, I have to say I never had." He shrugged, and got up, dusting himself. "Shall we make a move?"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on to your hats. I need to see what's in this box." Said Broly, halting them. Cautiously opening the box, he lifted the lid to discover a pair of guns.

"What? I bloody went through all that trouble just to get a pair of guns?" Broly growled, holding the guns in his hand. Both the guns were white, and gleamed in the dim light. Black and gold markings surround both guns, and at one side of each gun, a gold emboss of the Church's symbol glinted most beautifully. Both of them were also adorned with rubies on the handle. Broly whistled. "I take back what I said. These are some wicked guns."

Turles took a gun from Broly's hand and inspected it. "A holy weapon." He remarked. "Hm?" He noticed that there was something on the gun. "Looks like this gun was part of something else as well."

"Part of what?" Broly asked, taking the gun from his cousin's hand. While he handed Goku the other gun so that he could see it as well, he inspected the gun closely. He saw it. It was a sort-of link that enables the gun to be attached to something. It was large enough to enable it to bear something about (from his observations) 7 times its weight, approximately the weight of a blade. Coming to think of it, the size of the guns were much larger than normal guns.

"It's part of a gunblade." He said, most casually.

"Huh?" Goku blurted out.

"A gunblade. These here guns are part of a pair of gunblades. God knows what happened to its blades, but since this thing's detachable, it's the ideal weapon for any gunblader lucky enough to come across these babies. I'm guessing the blades must be HUGE."

"How do you know all this?" Goku enquired.

"Broly's a weapons specialist too." Turles remarked. "Some special ability passed down in his family for generations."

"Ah."

"Anyway," Broly continued. "Gunblades are hard to learn. You don't only need to know how to utilise the blade, you need to be really good at long-range combat to wield it too. And your arms have to be really, really strong to be able to even HOLD it. It's hard, considering that gunblades can be damn heavy. And that's why those who want to learn how to use one had to go through some crazy weight training on their arm muscles to be able to handle a lot of weight from those things. But once you're able to use it, you're practically unstoppable. I know this crazy guy who can actually do a RAPID FIRE with the guns on his gunblades as well, and I can only assume that he must be really good."

Goku nodded, quite solemnly, while digesting the information. "My grandpa DID say that among all weapons, gunblades are the most powerful of all..." he remarked. "Do you personally know any gunbladers?"

"Actually, the one we're going after is a master gunblader himself." Broly explained. "I'm guessing this abbey must really be gunblade heaven for Vegeta."

* * *

Touch down. Vegeta landed delicately on the fourth and final floor as he reached the last step of the stairs. He checked his surroundings. He was in a vast hall, and at the end of it, a beautiful altar. A light shone at the far centre of the hall, emanating the whole hall and reflecting itself onto the altar, causing it to look as if it was glowing.

"Dear Lord, I cannot believe that a place so beautiful should hold something so frightening and evil." He whispered to himself, almost a prayer. "Whatever You have in store for me, please protect me. Give me the strength to vanquish this holy place of the evil being held captive here. Let these souls rest in peace. Give me the power to end the eternal suffering trapped in here. Let me guide them to Your light." Vegeta didn't know why he was praying, but by the time he said "Amen" and opened his eyes, he found himself on his knees, hands held in prayer.

He looked around. He couldn't feel any evil presence anywhere. Was there another floor to descend? Surely not. This is the last floor already. Vegeta walked around the hall, inspecting every single bit of the place, hoping, at least, to call upon the evil trapped in the place.

He heard someone clear his throat behind him, and Vegeta turned abruptly to find an abbot behind him. The abbot wore his full regalia, and appeared elderly, but tall and quite lean.

"You must be a very adventurous person." The abbot remarked. "To come in this painful place...only to offer it peace. I hadn't thought I'd see the day someone would dare traverse the dark to offer light, instead of fulfilling their own selfish desires."

"Are you...I thought you'd appear vengeful." Vegeta remarked, quite nervously. "I guess I was wrong."

The abbot merely chuckled. "Oh no. I operate like this. I promised myself that I will only protect the last of our treasures from the avaricious, and somewhere along the line, I was forced to acknowledge that force was necessary, seeing that now the mortal had become so greedy to the point that they would do ANYTHING. I vowed not to hurt those who came for reasons other than avarice, and I am sad to say I haven't found anyone like that...until today." He looked towards the altar. "I was prepared to face off against you when I heard your prayer. It was then that I knew...you, child, were not of the avaricious."

"But the negative energy?" Vegeta asked.

The abbot sighed. "That's another thing I must acknowledge. What you sensed was not from the souls of those who died from the plague, those were the souls of the greedy that I had vanquished. I remain trapped here, to protect the treasure from their souls, and I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to hold them off much longer. There has been someone...someone not of those living in here. He seems to be able to convince these spirits to co-operate with him...and by that they become stronger and stronger."

"They were that powerful?"

"Indeed, child. Perhaps..."

"You want me to lend a hand? No problem."

"Are you sure of this?"

"I came here with a promise that I'll set every lost soul here free. And that's a promise I'm going to keep."

The abbot smiled. Seeing that smile made Vegeta feel calm and reassured, which almost frightened him a little. But for some reason...he knew it was going to be alright.

But then he felt an aura coming closer to the hall.

"Oh dear." The abbot remarked as he parted his robe, revealing a gunblade. Vegeta's eyes widened a little as he watched the abbot take it out and wielded it like nothing. "Be on the ready, child! They have arrived."

Vegeta wielded his own two gunblades and got ready. "I didn't know you could wield a gunblade, sir."

"You may not know much of this place, child, but I can tell you that everyone who lived in this abbey is a master of the gunblade."

They both were about to strike when the realized that it wasn't really something evil – Broly, Goku and Turles had caught up.

"What are you doing here?" Vegeta called out.

Broly dusted himself off. "What else, smarty-pants? To get you back!"

"Strange." Goku remarked. "I can't feel any evil in here. It feels so...peaceful."

The abbot eased himself. "Your friends, I presume."

Vegeta sighed. "Yeah, but I don't think I recognize one of them."

Broly looked at Vegeta. "Hey, why are you talking to yourself?" he snapped. "Gone crazy or something?"

"Uh?" Vegeta remarked. "Hey, we're in the presence of..." He stopped when he felt the abbot touch his shoulder.

"They cannot see me, child." The abbot explained. Vegeta merely nodded, and turned to Broly, who was looking at him with a very puzzled look on his face. "Um. Surely you already know I like talking to myself!" he explained.

Broly wasn't convinced. "Yeah, right." He murmured. "Well, let's get the hell out of here, get back up, and return to the palace. This place gives me the creeps."

"No." Vegeta remarked.

"Oh God, not this again. You think I didn't notice the dead zombie on the second floor?"

"But I made a promise..."

"Guys." Goku said. "You might want to get ready. We've got company and I don't think I like what I'm feeling right now."

Vegeta can feel the negative energy radiating around the hall. He looked at the abbot, who nodded at him gravely. "Guys. Get around me." Vegeta ordered, eyes darting around warily as he noticed the changes happening in the hall.

They all backed against each other, each of them forming a sort-of support for the other. The negative energy made itself seen now, enveloping them in a cloud of black mist. It was nauseating, it made Vegeta feel almost faint. He glanced beside him to find that Goku looked very weak, but still holding his weapon firmly, trying very hard to fight against whatever it was that was paining him.

The black shroud gathered round and formed something that looks like a form of a man. It took shape and wrapped itself around so precisely that when the mist cleared, in front of them stood a man. This man wore a casual black suit, and was considerably dark-skinned, his purplish-black hair tied in a neat ponytail.

"It seems that they have united." The abbot remarked. "Be on your guard."

The man smiled maliciously. "Old man still hangs around, huh? You don't know when to quit, you old fish."

Broly frowned, gripping his sword. "What the hell are you talking about? There's no old man around here, you idiot."

"He's talking about someone you can't see right now." Vegeta explained. "Whatever you have in mind, you're not taking anything from here." He called out to the man.

"I don't like people butting in on my business, my friend." The man remarked, straightening his suit. "You could have lived easily – you didn't have to come all the way down here. You could even STAY alive. Come here and you'll end up dead. I guess the zombie didn't do his job well."

"You sent that thing?" Vegeta asked.

"Oh yes. See, I control ALL death there is here. I manipulate the spirits, the dead, and the undead. They can only do so much – I offer them MUCH more than just lolling around thinking vengeful thoughts. But this old hag – " he said, pointing at the abbot, "- he always comes around to ruin our plans."

"Okay, I'm confused." Said Turles. "Who IS he referring to?"

"He's referring to me, my children." The abbot said, materializing himself to the view of all. Broly's eyes widened like saucers when he saw the abbot. "In the name of the Lord, I will stop you from harming these children and stealing what is not yours!" he admonished the man.

The man flicked a strand of hair away from his face and harrumphed. "Nothing can stop the powerful Betrote from getting what he wants. And I'm not even doing this for myself!" He laughed. An eerie, chilling laugh. "See, I'm not THAT greedy. So why don't you just stop all this and hand over the crystal?"

"It is not yours to begin with." The abbot remarked.

Betrote, as the man referred himself, simply shrugged. "Fine then. Have it your way." He spread his arms, and formed a magical circle under him, emanating an eerie purple aura as he did so. Suddenly the ground rumbled, and a rotted hand shot out from the ground below. It anchored itself onto the ground as it emerged, revealing a zombie – only much more grotesque and deformed than what Vegeta saw earlier – arms and torse much larger and muscular, some insides jutting out from the torn stomach, glowing red eyes and a missing lower jaw and chest, revealing a ferocious set of teeth and some organs. The other zombies begin to emerge, one by one, and in a few seconds Betrote was surrounded by a group of powerful zombies at his command.

"Look closely, abbot. The bodies of those you killed. And now they're hungry for life – and revenge." He said, smirking smugly. He looked down lazily as he produced a pocket watch from his left pocket. Clicking at the button on it, he looked at the watch with disinterest and pursed his lips. Then he kept the pocket watch back. "I really don't want to miss all the fun, but I have other things to attend to." The black shroud formed around him again, disintegrating him. "La revedere!" he said, as he vanished, quite literally, into thin air.

The zombies began to strike.

* * *

"Have you seen your brother, Tarble?" King Vegeta asked. "It's almost night and they still haven't returned."

Tarble shook his head. "No, father, I don't think I have. I've been trying to get into contact with him, but I can't even so much as reach his pager. Whatever it is, he must be somewhere out of range."

King Vegeta nodded solemnly as he looked out the window.

"Father, you don't think brother's in trouble now, right? I mean, I know he can take care of himself, but..."

King Vegeta smiled as he heard his younger son's words. He placed an arm around Tarble's shoulders and gave the boy a light hug. "You've always been a great support to your brother." The elderly king remarked. "Don't you worry. Your brother is a tough man. No matter where he is, he's bound to return."

* * *

Vegeta really couldn't make head or tail of what was going on. He couldn't see clearly, there was a ringing noise in his ears that threatened to deafen him, he was unable to speak, he was swaying back and forth like a drunk man...and then it clicked.

The unmistakeable stench the zombies were giving was far too overwhelming for him.

"Urgh." he groaned, stepping aside just in time before a set of frighteningly sharp claws sliced towards him, close to ripping his torso open. The smell was way too close for him, he nearly barfed at the stench that hit his face full force.

The others handled the situation well. Broly hacked away at the his set of zombies, swinging his enormous blade at them with full strength. One zombie was chopped clean into half, black blood spraying everywhere as its body was dismembered. The other ones charged at him, jaws wide open, arms outstretched as they tried to claw at him and rip him to pieces.

This was something Broly had foreseen, though - dodging very neatly, he dropped to the ground, and with his arm, sprang his body back up, his legs delivering an almighty kick towards one zombie. It flew backwards, crashing into the other and sending them towards the wall, crashing onto the solid marble. The Saiyan saw his chance and propped his hands to the ground, activating his alchemy. A brilliantly-glowing blue light formed around him into a symbol, and suddenly the marble below the zombies gave way, swallowing them and closed in on them just as quickly.

Turles and Goku were back-to-back, each of them firing as many lightning and ice spells as their magic could allow them. None of them seem to be wavering - any zombie that comes nearby was unfortunate enough to meet with their blades or fists. As one of them got too close and threatened to clamp its jaws down onto Turles' head, Turles swiftly swung his blade, chopping off its head. Goku delivered a few swift punches that sent some of them back, and immediately summoned his strongest lightning spell, fatally electrifying them.

Vegeta had to admire how easy they handled the fight. He had to admit, his habit of getting nauseous far too easily was hindering him a lot - right now, he only had just enough power to defend himself from the endless clawing and hacking of his zombie, sparks flying around every time the zombie's claws clashed against his gunblades.

"YO!" Vegeta shouted, "I NEED HELP HERE!"

Broly managed to kick off a zombie that was clinging on his foot, and chopping its head off. Another zombie charged at him, and met the same fate. "SORRY! MY HANDS ARE FULL- ARGH!" Several zombies flung themselves on Broly, sending him tumbling down to the ground, crushing him under the sheer weight of so many zombies. But it wasn't long before, struggling with all his might, Broly powered up, the burst of aura exploding underneath the pile of zombies and scattering them across the room. As Broly got up shakily, his hair had suddenly spiked up and was a golden blonde instead of jet black. "Damn, I wasn't expecting to go Super Saiyan too soon." Taking his blade, he began hacking away randomly at the zombies once more.

Vegeta groaned, thinking frantically of ways to get the one zombie off his back. Dear Lord, he thought to himself, I really could use some help right now!

A clean shot sent the attacking zombie away from him, thrown to ground and laid there motionless. Vegeta looked up to see the abbot smiling at him, helping him up.

"You don't seem to be able to overcome them." the abbot remarked.

"I can't stand the stink." Vegeta admitted. His eyes caught sight of another zombie lunging towards them, and without thinking, he brought one gunblade up and pulled the trigger, firing at the zombie. A single bullet sliced through the air, hitting the zombie squarely on the head. It dropped to the ground immediately and became lifeless.

"Then you know what to do, child. Attack from a long range." With that, the abbot took his own gunblade and fired several rapid shots at the zombies. Vegeta took up his own and did the same, firing as rapidly as he could, killing off as many of them as he could.

A few of them remained, and the room was beginning to be drenched in black, the blood of the zombies slain by the team. Several shots. One clean slice. And the last remaining zombies fell.

Wiping off sweat from his brow, the rest walked over towards Vegeta and the abbot. Vegeta himself had to avert his eyes somewhere or risk throwing up there and then - the sight of so many dismembered, rotted bodies and that strong stink of death and rot was far too much. He couldn't take it anymore. He bent down and threw up.

Broly went over and patted Vegeta on the back. "Whoa, take it easy there, this isn't a time to be sick."

"You.." Vegeta began, and hurled once more, then looking at Broly again, "..never had a queasy stomach, you DON'T know what it feels like, okay."

"Oh, stop it, YOU'RE gonna make me throw up." Broly grumbled. "Everyone else alright?"

"Yeah, we're okay." said Goku, dusting himself off. "That was fun." he said, smiling.

"No, that was rather UNPLEASANT." Turles commented, grimacing as he realized there were black stains on his shirt. "The last thing I wanted was to be attacked by a horde of zombies."

"Well, at least..." said Vegeta, now weak after throwing up too many times, "...that wasn't so bad. We DID survive, after all."

"Of course." the abbot said. As they looked at him, he was glowing a bright white - the light emanating from him was so brilliant, that they had to shield their eyes. It intensified and filled the entire room, and slowly it faded away, returning the entire floor back to how it originally was. The abbot stood in front of them, now surrounded by a few chests.

"I gave my word. These are the treasures I've been protecting. They're yours now." he said. Vegeta nodded and reached forward to shake hands with the abbot, but he couldn't even touch his arm - the abbot was fading away.

"Thank you, children, thank you very much. Now, the souls here can rest in peace. I was the last one remaining here, wishing that God would take me to his Heaven - but as I lay dying, I realized that...I still had a duty to fulfil. And I remained here for as long as I was allowed to, keeping watch over the abbey. And now...I'm free. I cannot thank you enough. Farewell my children, and may God bless you always." Circled once more with the bright white light, the abbot closed his eyes as his being became more and more faint, until he faded away completely.

They witnessed it all with great astonishment. Vegeta looked down and reached for his pocket, fishing out the journal. "So that was him." he said to himself. "I never would have guessed."

"Well, if all's well, let's see what they have here." said Broly.

"No, I think it's getting late now. Why don't we pack these up in capsules and open them at the palace?" Vegeta suggested. As they nodded in agreement, he turned to Goku. "What about you? Would you like to stay with us tonight? We've got plenty of room - and my father wouldn't mind."

"Can I?" Goku asked earnestly.

"Of course." said Vegeta. He glanced over to see Broly and Turles busy packing the chests into boxes fashioned out from the capsules they carried. Extending his arm to Goku, he smiled at the fair-skinned warrior in front of him. "I'm Vegeta. I don't think I caught your name."

Goku smiled, taking Vegeta's hand in a hearty handshake. "I'm Goku. Son Goku."

* * *

"Oh, so you made it. Impressive, kid. I didn't think you'd had it in you." the cannibox said to Vegeta, witnessed by three most astonished Saiyans behind him.

"Yeah." said Vegeta. "It was a little awful, but we did manage, so it's alright."

"Yeah, impressive all the same." said the cannibox. "And yeah, like I promised. Stand back." Vegeta took a few steps back, and the cannibox lolled out its tongue, this time with another amulet at the tip. Gingerly, Vegeta took it and admired it all the same - it had the same design as what he received before, but this time the crystal had a soft, pinkish hue.

"Give it to your lover - if you two have them, you'll be protected forever." the cannibox said. "Now, be off with ya, I need some sleep - it'll be another 3 years before I can generate any more treasure." Nodding at them, the cannibox closed its mouth, and began snoring a few seconds later.

* * *

"So..." Broly began, as they climbed out of the abbey. "who's gonna get that amulet?"

Vegeta looked up to see stars around him. It was already night, and if they don't come home soon, his father would have been flapping like a mother hen until God knows when. "I don't know. Maybe I'll give it to Naella. She likes these kinds of things."

Turles whistled. "I haven't heard you talk about her since we came here. Honestly, Veg, at the very least you could've told us how your fiancée's doing."

"Sorry." said Vegeta, blushing a little.

"Ah, well, let's talk about that when we get home. Right now, we're gonna have to fly back if we want to get home ASAP." said Broly, and as he said that, he jumped up and levitated in the air. The rest followed suit, and flew into the night sky, heading back home.

* * *

"I thought you said you had it covered, Betrote."

"Look, I didn't know they had it in them, alright?" Betrote grunted. Talking to people he couldn't see, with only a pool emanating an eerie purple glow in front of him was rather clichéd.

"You better do better next time. Or we would have to...demote your position."

Betrote glared. "You CAN'T do that."

The voices chuckled. "Oh, Betrote, we KNOW how much class and status means to you. If you succeed this time, we MAY consider a promotion for you."

Betrote glanced at the pool, and smirked. "So," he said, leaning back on the wall. "what's this brilliant proposal you're dying to tell me?"


End file.
